Not upheld: Credit file / adverse marker disputes complaint against Wise Payments Limited (trading as Wise)

Decision detail

Summary

Mr T complained that Wise improperly lodged a CIFAS fraud marker against him. Mr T had received approximately £13,000 from a third party between May and July 2025, which he transferred onwards using various money transfer services. In October, Wise received a fraud report indicating the original payments were part of a visa application scam where a victim had paid £5,180 to Mr T's account for a visa that was never provided. When questioned by Wise, Mr T claimed he was a victim of a scam. However, the ombudsman reviewed over 190 pages of messages showing Mr T was receiving funds himself, stating he would 'take commission', and was aware of accusations that he was operating a visa scam. The ombudsman found Wise had sufficient evidence to lodge the marker and did not uphold Mr T's complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied CIFAS marker requirements: there must be reasonable grounds to believe an identified fraud was committed and the evidence must be clear, relevant and rigorous. The ombudsman found that the pattern of transfers using multiple methods to different destinations mirrored money mule activity. The extensive messages showed Mr T was receiving funds himself (stating he would 'take commission'), was aware of the fraudulent nature (discussing accusations of operating a visa scam), and had unexplained extensive communication with the business involved. The ombudsman concluded there was sufficient evidence that Mr T was in receipt of fraudulent funds, made use of them, and knew this was the case.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website